Bruce McCall (1935-2023)

Los Angeles, Once Upon a Time: Buddy's Fly-Inn, 1934

Original mixed media illustration produced for the New Yorker, June 3, 1991, p. 36

7 1/4 x 5 3/4 inches, image size

20 1/2 x 17 1/2 inches, framed

New Yorker stamp on verso, along with inscriptions

Authenticity is guaranteed

About the article and work, from The New Yorker website: "One-paragraph casual, with a large color illustration captioned "Buddy's Fly-Inn, 1934", showing an airplane approaching a restaurant with a built-in landing strip and a roof-top swimming poool. The text describes Jimmy Doo-little's landing on the building, and tells how he wouldn't go in with Buddy on making a national Fly-Inn chain, because he didn't like the restaurant's food. It had a benzine flavor. (The Jimmy Doolittle referred to in this story was an American aviator noted for his speed records.)"

About the artist: Bruce McCall was born on May 10th, 1935, in Simcoe, Ontario, and grew up with five siblings. The family moved to Toronto and Windsor, where he found his first job at a local advertising agency. His US career kickstarted in 1962 when he was hired to create ad copy for Corvettes and Corvairs. In 1970, McCall collaborated with Playboy on Major Howdy Bixby's Album of Forgotten Warbirds. Ten years later, he submitted an article for The New Yorker, one of many which would be published in the next 40 years.

The artist is best known for his imaginary lands, which feature carefree millionaires, indoor golf courses, and luxury zeppelin travels. To describe his illustration style, he coined the word "retrofuture", which implies "looking back to see how yesterday viewed tomorrow."